System and method for forming surface designs in hard-setting materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11654593-B2
Application number	US-201916441457-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2019
Priority date	Feb 6, 2019
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

Provided is a system, method, and apparatus for forming surface designs in hard-setting materials. The method includes depositing a hard-setting material mix to create a construction component, controlling a movable unit to manipulate a surface of the construction component with a first profile tool arranged on the movable unit based on surface design data before the hard-setting material mix sets, and controlling the movable unit or at least one other movable unit to manipulate the surface of the construction component with a second profile tool arranged on the movable unit or the at least one other movable unit based on the surface design data before the hard-setting material mix sets, wherein the second profile tool comprises a blade edge and a trowel edge.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for forming construction components with three-dimensional surface designs, comprising:
depositing a hard-setting material mix to create a construction component;
controlling, with at least one processor, a movable unit comprising a robotic arm or a print head to manipulate a surface of the construction component with a first profile tool arranged on the movable unit based on surface design data before the hard-setting material mix sets, the surface design data comprising layer data for each layer of a plurality of layers, each layer corresponding to a different profile tool of a plurality of profile tools including the first profile tool and a second profile tool, wherein the first profile tool comprises a blade edge and a trowel edge; and
controlling, with at least one processor, the movable unit or at least one other movable unit to manipulate the surface of the construction component with the second profile tool arranged on the movable unit or the at least one other movable unit based on the layer data for at least one layer of the plurality of layers before the hard-setting material mix sets, wherein the second profile tool comprises a blade edge and a trowel edge, and wherein the trowel edge of the first profile tool comprises a different shape than the trowel edge of the second profile tool.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the movable unit to manipulate the surface of the construction component with the first profile tool comprises repeatedly moving the first profile tool along an axis substantially perpendicular to the surface of the construction component while simultaneously moving the first profile tool along an axis substantially parallel to the surface of the construction component.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein repeatedly moving the first profile tool along the axis substantially perpendicular to the surface of the construction component comprises oscillating the first profile tool.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the hard-setting material mix comprises:
controlling, with at least one processor, a pump to move the hard-setting material mix from a pressurized vessel through a conduit, wherein an end of the conduit comprises a dispensing unit arranged on the movable unit; and
controlling, with at least one processor, the movable unit to selectively deposit the hard-setting material mix from the dispensing unit.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the first profile tool is arranged adjacent to the end of the conduit such that the hard-setting material mix is manipulated by the first profile tool as it is being deposited.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hard-setting material mix is deposited within a panel frame.

7. A system for forming construction components from a hard-setting material mix, comprising:
at least one movable unit configured to move in three dimensions;
a first profile tool attached to the at least one movable unit and comprising a blade edge and a trowel edge;
a second profile tool attached to the at least one movable unit and comprising a blade edge and a trowel edge, wherein the trowel edge of the first profile tool comprises a different shape than the trowel edge of the second profile tool; and
at least one processor programmed or configured to:
control the at least one movable unit to manipulate a surface of a construction component formed with the hard-setting material mix with the first profile tool based on surface design data before the hard-setting material mix sets, the surface design data comprising layer data for each layer of a plurality of layers, each layer corresponding to a different profile tool of a plurality of profile tools including the first profile tool and the second profile tool; and
control the at least one movable unit to manipulate the surface of the construction component with the second profile tool based on the layer data for at least one layer of the plurality of layers before the hard-setting material mix sets.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one processor is further programmed or configured to repeatedly move at least one of the first profile tool and the second profile tool along an axis substantially perpendicular to the surface of the construction component while simultaneously manipulating the surface of the construction component with at least one of the first profile tool and the second profile tool.

Assignees

• Univ Carnegie Mellon

Inventors

• Bard Joshua David

Classifications

• B28B3/20

  wherein the material is extruded {(extrusion moulding of plastics B29C48/00)} · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/106 Primary

  using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material · CPC title

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y70/00

  Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing · CPC title